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National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee

The U.S. Global Change Research Program has released the Third National Climate Assessment.

A 60-person Federal Advisory Committee (The "National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee" or NCADAC) oversaw the development of the draft climate report.  The NCADAC, whose members are available here (and listed in the report), was established under the Department of Commerce in December 2010 and is supported through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It is a federal advisory committee established as per the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972. The Committee serves to oversee the activities of the National Climate Assessment. Its members are diverse in background, expertise, geography and sector. A formal record of the committee can be found at the NOAA NCADAC website.  A list of the committee’s decisions and actions is available on our NCADAC info page.

The NCADAC engaged more than 250 authors in the creation of the report. The authors are acknowledged at the beginning of the chapters they co-authored.



A draft report was released in January 2013 for a 90-day public comment period. Over 4,000 public comments were received and addressed by the authors. A panel of the National Academies also reviewed the draft report and published its consensus report. The report was revised by the authors in response to the public comments and National Academies review.  NCADAC then submitted the Government Review Draft and the derivative Highlights document for formal interagency review. Final versions of the Third NCA and Highlights were adopted by NCADAC on May 6, 2014, and submitted to the Federal government.


The Public Review Draft, Government Review Draft, and NCADAC-approved Final Report can be found below.

For more information on the NCA process and background, previous assessments and other NCA information, please view the Assessment section of globalchange.gov.

To access and read the public review draft, government review draft, and NCADAC-approved versions of the final report, please download the full PDFs or individual chapters below. Additionally, you may also be interested in the following documents that provided input to the NCA:

Draft for Public Review of the National Climate Assessment Report

Download the Full Draft for Public Review (Warning, the file is large)

Between chapters, there are some page numbers that are not used. This is intentional and does not reflect missing pages.

Draft for Public Review - Individual Chapter Downloads

  1. Executive Summary (Draft)
  2. Our Changing Climate (Draft)

Introduction to Sectors (Draft)

  1. Water Resource (Draft)
  2. Energy Supply Use (Draft)
  3. Transportation (Draft)
  4. Agriculture (Draft)
  5. Forestry (Draft)
  6. Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services (Draft)
  7. Human Health (Draft)
  8. Water, Energy, and Land Use (Draft)
  9. Urban Systems, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability (Draft)
  10. Impacts of Climate Change on Tribal, Indigenous, and Native Lands and Resources (Draft)
  11. Land Use and Land Cover Change (Draft)
  12. Rural Communities (Draft)
  13. Interactions of Climate Change and Biogeochemical Cycles (Draft)

Introduction to Regions (Draft)

  1. Northeast (Draft)
  2. Southeast & Caribbean (Draft)
  3. Midwest (Draft)
  4. Great Plains (Draft)
  5. Southwest (Draft)
  6. Northwest (Draft)
  7. Alaska & the Arctic (Draft)
  8. Hawaii and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (Draft)
  9. Oceans and Marine Resources (Draft)
  10. Coastal Zone Development and Ecosystems (Draft)

Introduction to Response Strategies (Draft)

  1. Decision Support: Supporting Policy, Planning, and Resource Management Decisions in a Climate Change Context (Draft)
  2. Mitigation (Draft)
  3. Adaptation (Draft)
  4. Research Agenda for Climate Change Science (Draft)
  5. The NCA Long-Term Process: Vision and Future Development (Draft)

Appendix I: NCA Climate Science - Addressing Commonly Asked Questions from A to Z (Draft)

Appendix II: The Science of Climate Change (Draft)

 

Draft for Government Review of the National Climate Assessment Report

Download the Full Draft for Government Review (Warning, the file is large)

Draft for Government Review Individual Chapter Downloads

About this Report [Draft]

  1. Overview and Report Findings [Draft]
  2. Our Changing Climate [Draft]

Introduction to the Sectors [Draft]

  1. Water Resources [Draft]
  2. Energy Supply and Use [Draft]
  3. Transportation [Draft]
  4. Agriculture [Draft]
  5. Forests [Draft]
  6. Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services [Draft]
  7. Human Health [Draft]
  8. Energy, Water, and Land Use [Draft]
  9. Urban Systems, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability [Draft]
  10. Indigenous Peoples, Lands, and Resources [Draft]
  11. Land Use and Land Cover Change [Draft]
  12. Rural Communities [Draft]
  13. Biogeochemical Cycles [Draft]

Introduction to the Regions [Draft]

  1. Northeast [Draft]
  2. Southeast and the Caribbean [Draft]
  3. Midwest [Draft]
  4. Great Plains [Draft]
  5. Southwest [Draft]
  6. Northwest [Draft]
  7. Alaska [Draft]
  8. Hawai‘i and U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands [Draft]
  9. Oceans and Marine Resources [Draft]
  10. Coastal Zone Development and Ecosystems [Draft]

Introduction to Response Strategies [Draft]

  1. Decision Support: Connecting Science, Risk Perception, and Decisions [Draft]
  2. Mitigation [Draft]
  3. Adaptation [Draft]
  4. Research Needs for Climate and Global Change Assessments [Draft]
  5. Sustained Assessment: A New Vision for Future U.S. Assessments [Draft]

Appendices

A1. Report Development Process [Draft]
A2. Information Quality Assurance Process [Draft]
A3. Climate Science [Draft]
A4. Climate Science: Frequently Asked Questions [Draft]
A5. Scenarios and Models [Draft]
A6. Topics for Consideration in Future Assessments [Draft]

Abbreviations and Acronyms [Draft]

 

Third National Climate Assessment Report

Download the full Third National Climate Assessment report (Warning, the file is large)

Download the Highlights of the Third National Climate Assessment (Warning, the file is large)

Request print copies of the Overview and Highlights of the Third National Climate Assessment (click the link, then click Add to Cart and follow instructions in the green box at the top of the page)

Final Report - Individual Chapter Downloads

About this Report
  1. Overview and Report Findings
  2. Our Changing Climate
Introduction to the Sectors
  1. Water Resources
  2. Energy Supply and Use
  3. Transportation
  4. Agriculture
  5. Forests
  6. Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Services
  7. Human Health
  8. Energy, Water, and Land Use
  9. Urban Systems, Infrastructure, and Vulnerability
  10. Indigenous Peoples, Lands, and Resources
  11. Land Use and Land Cover Change
  12. Rural Communities
  13. Biogeochemical Cycles
Introduction to the Regions
  1. Northeast
  2. Southeast and the Caribbean
  3. Midwest
  4. Great Plains
  5. Southwest
  6. Northwest
  7. Alaska
  8. Hawai‘i and U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands
  9. Oceans and Marine Resources
  10. Coastal Zone Development and Ecosystems
Introduction to Response Strategies
  1. Decision Support: Connecting Science, Risk Perception, and Decisions
  2. Mitigation
  3. Adaptation
  4. Research Needs for Climate and Global Change Assessments
  5. Sustained Assessment: A New Vision for Future U.S. Assessments

Appendix 1: Report Development Process
Appendix 2: Information Quality Assurance Process
Appendix 3: Climate Science Supplement
Appendix 4: Climate Science: Frequently Asked Questions
Appendix 5: Scenarios and Models
Appendix 6: Topics for Consideration in Future Assessments

Abbreviations and Acronyms